Salt has a rich history as a preservative, spice, flavor enhancer, and chemical feedstock. Salt is an essential nutrient which acts to maintain: (1) concentration and volume of extracellular fluid, (2) osmotic pressure and body water balance, (3) acid-base equilibrium, (4) nerve and muscle function, and (5) glucose and other nutrient absorption.
From a dietary perspective, individuals may respond differently to varying intake levels of sodium. Excessive sodium consumption may lead to detrimental effects on the circulatory system, such as high blood pressure, as well as kidney affections, water retention, and stomach ulcers. While there is a recommendation for reduced sodium intake, there is a strong demand for the flavor and organoleptic qualities of salt, particularly sodium chloride. Only sodium chloride elicits a true salt taste, whereas other salts have mixed tastes that are usually described as bitter, medicinal, or unpleasant. Some salt replacements ineffectually simulate the flavor of sodium chloride by producing composite substances that mimic this flavor.
As a nutrient, sodium plays an important roll in maintaining concentration and volume of extracellular fluid. It acts with other electrolytes, such as potassium, to regulate osmotic pressure and maintain water balance within the body. Additionally, sodium is a major factor in maintaining cellular acid-base equilibrium, transmitting nerve impulses, relaxing muscles after contraction, absorbing glucose, and nutrient transport across cell membranes.
Some health experts believe excess sodium may lead to or exacerbate high blood pressure, kidney affections, water retention, and stomach ulcers. Despite health concerns and nutrition recommendations, many people frequently consume an excessive amount of salt. Prior attempts to maintain the desired sodium chloride taste while not exceeding dietary sodium nutrition recommendations have failed to sufficiently address the problem of avoiding excessive sodium intake while retaining acceptable flavor.
Salt plays an important role and is highly sedirable in seasoning, enhancing, and potentiating flavor in foods and beverages. More particularly, sodium chloride, a salt, enhances the organoleptic potential, taste, and flavor of food. Several theories exist as to how flavor enhancers and potentiators work. It is believed by some that flavor potentiators increase the sensitivity of the taste buds, and flavor enhancers act as solvents and free more flavors from foods. More flavor is then available to penetrate the taste buds. Flavor is the quality produced by the sensation of taste. Saltiness is one of the five basic tastes. Other basic tastes include sourness, bitterness, sweetness, and umami (savoriness). Sodium chloride is a major source of salty taste and provides important nutrients for the body.
The ability of salt to enhance flavors in food is universally appreciated. For example, salt is known to potentiate sweetness, decreases bitterness, and add “roundness” to foods. As a result, salt is routinely added to processed foods. Prior, attempts to decrease salt or sodium content have resulted in reduced flavor (both salt and “food” flavors). Since salt enhances a desired food flavor, a decrease in salt or sodium content will generally require food flavor fortification. Typically done with salty-tasting substitutes, however, no true substitute has been found for saltiness.
Consequently, there remains the need for a seasoning which has flavor and organoleptic properties similar to sodium chloride while reducing the amount of dietary sodium needed for a desired salty taste.